| Brief Description: | In Zhang Yuan's moving drama, a pair of teenage stepsisters become bitter rivals in an attempt to win their parents' affection. Xiaoqin (Li Jun) is a strong-willed girl who is proud of her working-class roots, while Xiaolan (Liu Lin) is attractive, academic, and urbane. One day their tense rivalry explodes, and in a moment of shocking violence Xiaolan attacks Xiaoquin and kills her. The duration of Yuan's film is devoted to the 17 years Xiaolin spends behind bars and a New Year's furlough that she spends searching for her family. Winner of the Best Director Prize (Yuan) at the Venice Film Festival. In Mandarin with English subtitles. |
